Take A Pew With Me explores the wonders of religious buildings seen through the eyes of young Catholic woman as she discovers the hidden treasures of the many Cathedrals, Churches, Abbeys and Shrines she visits.

Friday, 19 June 2009

The Beautiful Hands of a Priest

Today marks the first day of the year for Priests and to commemorate this occasion I have posted below a wonderful poem which I came across while searching for my next cross stitch pattern on 'Holy Needle' which Zetor author of Mog's Blog kindling made me aware of when I posted about my cross stitching activities last month (Catholic Cross Stitcher).

Beautiful Hands of a Priest

We need them in life's early morning,

We need them again at its close;

We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,

We seek it while tasting life's woes.

When we come to this world we are sinful,

The greatest as well as the least.

And the hands that make us pure as angels

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

At the altar each day we behold them,

And the hands of a king on his throne

Are not equal to them in their greatness

Their dignity stands alone.

For there in the stillness of morning

Ere the sun has emerged from the east,

There God rests between the pure fingers

Of the beautiful hands of a priest.

When we are tempted and wander

To pathways of shame and sin'

Tis the hand of a priest that absolve us.

Not once but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner

Other hands may prepare us a feast

But the hands that will bless and unite us,

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,

For the Host which their fingers caress,

What can a poor sinner do better

Than to ask Him who chose them to bless

When the death dews on our lids are falling,

May our courage and strength be increased

By seeing raised o'er us in blessing

The beautiful hands of a priest.

I really like the way it incorporates the priest's hands in every stage of our lives from birth till death.

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The Society of St Justin

Throughout Britian and across Europe there are many buildings in which for centuries Holy Mass was offered and the other sacraments were celebrated; places hallowed by the prayers of countless of Catholic priests, monks and lay faithful. In visiting these places, members of the Society of St Justin recall the Catholic history and re-hallow the buildings and locations with Catholic prayer for those who worshipped there in times past, offering acts of reparation for past neglect and venerating ancient shrines and the relics of the saints.

The Church Conservation Trust cares for over 340 of England's finest historic churches which are no longer required for regular parish worship. Their collection ranges from the virtually untouched medieval churches in idyllic rural settings, to ornately impressive Victorian churches in busy town centres.

The Open Churches Trust has helped over 300 places of worship to open their doors, including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, Baptist and Jewish. The website has entries for churches listed by county.

Through this website you can view their guide to members of the association. These include Cathedrals, Churches, Abbeys and Shrines in the UK and Ireland. Members' pages in the guide give an outline of basic visitor information consisting of times of opening, how to get there, any charges involved, significant historical and architectural features and times of worship.